Cheap 3D Tricks

2009 was a busy year for 3D films. With several movie studios releasing 3D films and movies like Avatar showing the technology’s worth, it’s no surprise that 2010 is chock full of 3D releases. Here are some highlights, both good and bad, of what we can expect to see from behind the glasses in the new year.

Alice in Wonderland (March 5th) – Tim Burton and 3D is a match made in Heaven (I’m still sad that I didn’t get to see Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D this past fall). His chiaroscuro fantasy worlds are perfect for the technology, and adding his creepy vision to the already unsettling world of Alice in Wonderland will be a real treat. Just try to tell me you won’t be super giddy when the Chesire Cat comes flying out over the audience. I know I got pretty excited during the 3D preview.

Hubble 3D (March 19): a new IMAX film that takes a 3D look at the Hubble telescope. Seems Warner Bros. is also keen to the mental transport abilities of 3D; from the film’s plot description: “Through the power of IMAX® 3D, Hubble 3D will enable moviegoers to journey through distant galaxies to explore the grandeur and mysteries of our celestial surroundings, and accompany space-walking astronauts as they attempt the most difficult and important tasks in NASA’s history.” (emphasis mine)

How to Train Your Dragon (March 26): the latest offering from Dreamworks offers vivid animated worlds with dragons and humans. Expect lots of nifty flying scenes and yes, some cheap 3D tricks by way of dragon wings and fight scenes. The film looks very good though, and I always enjoy movies with Jay Baruchel. One of my favorite scenes in Tropic Thunder is when Baruchel’s character goes on and on about blu ray versus high def DVD technology.

"Avatar" with cuter dragons and a younger hero

Toy Story 3 (June 18): One of the highlights of 2009 for me was seeing Toy Story 1 and 2 re-released in 3D. The imagery worked really well despite the fact that neither film was originally made with the technology in mind. It will be interesting to see how the third film, which was made to be in 3D, compares. Plus, I always look forward to another chapter in the Toy Story saga.

Tron: Legacy (December 17): How can this movie not be perfect for 3D? It involves people being teleported into cyber universes. What better way to convey it than to turn the film itself into a virtual reality experience? This could potentially be the Avatar of 2010.

Heck yeah.

Other note-worthy releases:

Cats and Dogs – The Revenge of Kitty Galore (July 30): Cats and Dogs is a movie I recommend everyone watch at least once. While I can’t guarantee you will be surprised at how funny and clever it actually is, I can at least say it’s highly possible. Revenge of Kitty Galore will be fun in 3D, but I’m mostly looking forward to seeing a sequel to this underrated gem.

Despicable Me (July 9): a movie about super villains duking it out for world domination? I’m there. No telling yet if the 3D will enhance or distract, though the 3D preview in front of Avatar seemed fun.

I already know that this guy - the world's #1 super villain - will be my new animated hero

Saw VII 3D (October 23): I won’t be seeing this, as I cannot handle the gory Saw films in 2D on a television screen. It will be interesting to see, though, if the box office streak that these films (inexplicably) enjoy each Halloween is changed at all by the incorporation of 3D.

Rapunzel (November 24): Disney’s newest non-Pixar animated offering. It’s in 3D and a CGI flick. I hope though that we get more 2D animated flicks like The Princess and the Frog, for balance, after all.

With the good, though, comes the bad. Here are some 3D flicks that I’m not so excited about:

Pirahna 3D (March 19): taking a page from Jaws, the third installment of this monster series will have fish chomping at hapless protagonists in glorious 3D. Films like this make me wish they would make special 3D episodes of MST3K.

Step Up 3D (August 6): yeah, no.

On the other hand, it may be entertaining to see how one choreographs dance moves to incorporate cheap 3D tricks

Jackass 3D (October 15): did anyone really want a third film, let alone one in 3D? Says Johnny Knoxville, “We’re going to take the same 3D technology James Cameron used in Avatar and stick it up Steve O’s butt.” Swell.

2010 should prove to be quite the year for 3D. Will it usher in the technology full-speed, fine-tune its capabilities, or will 3D crash and burn? Only time will tell. To the year ahead!

All images found on JoBlo’s Movie Emporium on the respective films’ pages